D.A. Davidson & CO. Has $6.37 Million Stock Position in Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK)

D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in shares of Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE:ROK - Free Report) by 8.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 24,641 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,016 shares during the period. D.A. Davidson & CO.'s holdings in Rockwell Automation were worth $6,367,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in ROK. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 3,775 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,079,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in Rockwell Automation by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 1,896 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $542,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG lifted its holdings in shares of Rockwell Automation by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 4,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $1,199,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Knuff & Co LLC boosted its position in shares of Rockwell Automation by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Knuff & Co LLC now owns 141 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Rockwell Automation by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,652 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,462,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. 75.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Christopher Nardecchia sold 551 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $326.31, for a total value of $179,796.81. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 12,711 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,147,726.41. This represents a 4.15% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Matthew W. Fordenwalt sold 500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $320.02, for a total value of $160,010.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,709 shares in the company, valued at $866,934.18. This represents a 15.58% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 7,388 shares of company stock worth $2,307,487. Corporate insiders own 0.68% of the company's stock.

Rockwell Automation Stock Up 1.2%

ROK stock traded up $4.19 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $346.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 626,807 shares, compared to its average volume of 859,321. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.69, a PEG ratio of 3.90 and a beta of 1.38. The company's fifty day moving average price is $308.03 and its 200 day moving average price is $283.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.05 and a quick ratio of 0.72. Rockwell Automation, Inc. has a twelve month low of $215.00 and a twelve month high of $348.43.

Rockwell Automation (NYSE:ROK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.36. The business had revenue of $2 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.97 billion. Rockwell Automation had a return on equity of 30.16% and a net margin of 11.38%. Rockwell Automation's revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Rockwell Automation, Inc. will post 9.35 EPS for the current year.

Rockwell Automation Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be paid a $1.31 dividend. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.51%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, August 18th. Rockwell Automation's dividend payout ratio is currently 65.99%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on ROK. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Rockwell Automation from $315.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Rockwell Automation from $327.00 to $371.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, June 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Rockwell Automation from $271.00 to $299.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, May 16th. TD Cowen raised shares of Rockwell Automation from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $275.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on Rockwell Automation from $330.00 to $360.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $324.37.

Rockwell Automation Profile

Rockwell Automation, Inc provides industrial automation and digital transformation solutions in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. The company operates through three segments, Intelligent Devices, Software & Control, and Lifecycle Services. Its solutions include hardware and software products and services.